Mother and daughter jailed 10 days each for shoplifting spree along Orchard Road

SINGAPORE — A mother and daughter went to Orchard Road for shopping but ended up on a shoplifting spree.

Fong Leok Moy, 68, and her daughter Wong Phuay Yee, 41, both recalcitrant offenders, were sentenced to 10 days’ jail each by the State Courts on Wednesday (21 August), before the very judge who had handled their previous theft case.

Both mother and daughter were previously convicted for theft before the same court on 25 May 2016, when they were given a day reporting order, time restriction, and ordered to serve community service.

Sentencing them again, District Judge Eddy Tham told the duo, “You ought to realise the seriousness but you did not and have gone on to not just commit one offence but 10 different offences. A custodial sentence ought to be imposed in this case.”

Fong and Wong admitted to three counts of theft, with the remaining seven counts, including one committed on 15 October 2017, taken into consideration for sentencing.

According to court documents, the duo went to Orchard Road to shop on 22 October 2017 with the intention to purchase things. As they did not have the cash with them, they decided to steal the items instead.

They headed to Ngee Ann City, where they stole two pairs of slippers from Havaianas, valued at $109.8 in total. They also stole three pairs of workout shorts worth $89.95 from Cotton On at Wisma Atria, and 24 pieces of panties and a sports bra worth $491 in total from Victoria’s Secret in Mandarin Gallery, among other things.

When they visited FitFlop in Wisma Atria, they were spotted by a sales assistant who followed them, after remembering that they had both stolen footwear from the store a week ago.

The store manager called the police and the duo were detained. The police officers conducted a check and found the stolen items. All the stolen items were recovered.

Seeking two days’ jail and a $6,000 fine, T M Sinnadurai, the lawyer for Wong and Fong, said that his clients had only committed the offences on two different occasions.

Fong was going through a bad relationship with her husband and Wong was the sole breadwinner of the family. Both mother and daughter are also seeking treatment from a psychiatrist for depression.

A psychiatric report for Wong stated that her depression could have contributed to her offence.

As for Fong, a report indicated that her offences were a “choice” and she had chosen to seek her own medication for her depression.

For theft, each could have been jailed up to seven years, and also fined on each count.